Sunday, April 13, 2014

Spicy Tomato Lentil Cauliflower Soup with Dill

I liked the idea of this soup, but mine turned out rather bland. Granted, I added extra water to cover everything, so that may have diluted it. I also used regular canned tomatoes instead of passata. To compensate, I used some stock instead of water, some smoked salt with chili and garlic, some ketchup, and some sriracha. I think this recipe is worth trying again, though, so that it looks like Janet's version.

1. In a large soup pot over medium heat, heat oil. Once hot, add onion, sprinkle with salt and saute until softened. Add carrots and cauliflower, cover and saute until softened and the onions have browned. Stir in the garlic and saute until fragrant, around 1 minute. Stir in the cumin seeds, ground cumin, dill seeds, dry mustard and fry until fragrant, another 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Deglaze the pot with the water and stock and stir in the brown rice and lentils. Raise heat to high, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Add bay leaf and cover, simmering for 20-30 minutes, until the lentils have cooked through. Add cooked brown rice and simmer until warmed through, around 5 minutes more. Check periodically to see whether you need to add water. Once cooked completely, stir in passata/tomatoes, ketchup, and sriracha. Remove bay leaf and top with fresh dill. Add smoked salt to taste. Serves 4.